Harris has intermittent problems with anxiety and depression, and DEEP came from the desire to build a relaxing space for more difficult periods.

He gets e-mails almost every day from people going through similar problems.

Anne Marie Toole is a psychotherapist with Insight Matters, and she stresses the need for an integrative approach when treating anxiety.

“We’re seeing this more and more with people – that people want more practical and probably quicker solutions to their mental health problems nowadays,” she says.

“You see a lot of people coming in saying, ‘I’m experiencing anxiety, I’m not really interested in where it came from, I just want to deal with it.’”

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT] developed as a response to this new need for solution-focused treatments, she says.

“You’re essentially saying, there’s an issue right now; how do we help you solve that?”

CBT considers the lead-up and triggers, what the attacks feel like when they’re happening, and then the aftermath.

For anyone who experiences anxiety, having practical coping mechanisms is vital.

According to Toole, anxiety is becoming more and more prevalent, citing a faster pace of life and lowered tolerance for frustration as potential causes.

“Ultimately, we are our own greatest tool in dealing with anxiety, and if we’re stuck in technology, which we are, that’s disconnecting [us] from [our] personal self – the very thing that can give us grounding against anxiety.”

Technology and the future of anxiety

If our increasing reliance on technology contributes to mental health problems, where does a VR experience come into that?

“I would never go for a technology only approach in addressing my own anxiety and depression,” says Harris, adding that for him, exercise, meditation, yoga and human contact are more important.

“What it [DEEP] can do for me, and others, is be an effective and potent addition. What’s useful about technological things is, while you have to feel a certain amount of capacity to go for a run or to see your friends, some technological interventions can be used even when you are really not able to go outside,” he says.

One of the team’s broader aims within the project is to discuss their own issues with mental health, and create a discussion around mental health and technology.

Would this be a way of bypassing the stigma that makes some people avoid therapy?

“It would upset me to think that somebody was using it because they were too shy to ask for help. DEEP is not a replacement for therapy, or meditation, or medication.”

Harris adds that in coming years, other options like AI [Artificial Intelligence] therapists, could be helpful for people who cannot afford or access human therapists.

I ask Toole what she thinks of using DEEP in the treatment of anxiety.

“If it’s able to help a person, through technology, to connect with themselves to a meaningful level, I think it could be very effective,” she says.

“I do think there’s a place for technology to help with this. I think it depends on what the game is trying to achieve, and how likely the person is to sustain the changes made. That’s what needs to be asked about this. What’s the sustainability?

The way our brains are shaped is changing because of technology, and we have to move with that.”

Toole echoes Harris’s concern that solely using technology in this case, omits a vital element of human connection. But, she does believe that, for those who are unable to seek therapy, this could be a viable option.

“Depending on what is happening to a person, something [like DEEP] could be a solution in and of itself, or it could be a bridge. There are some people who cannot cross the threshold of a therapy room, so something like that could be a solution for them. What’s the alternative? They’re left out in the cold?”

Toole believes the challenging terrain of self-awareness is eclipsing stigma and prejudice as the main challenge facing those with anxiety these days.

“Prescriptions for anti-anxiety medication are being written every 45 seconds, yet research has told us that medication alone is not the answer to this problem.”

Nature and nurture

Bryan Duggan codes the fish and creatures for DEEP.

“The whole idea is for people to become connected to their breath,” he says.

“It’s a very well-understood technique that’s used in yoga practice. We have a team of psychologists that we work with. They’re doing user testing with DEEP in psychiatric hospitals, to find out how effective it is.

“We get a lot of different reactions; people sometimes cry. Generally, the feedback has been extremely positive, we’re very hopeful that the DEEP project is actually going to work.

“I like watching people’s faces who are really connecting with it, and finding something surprising and joyous in it,” says Harris.

“I think that there’s a great opportunity for people to create VR works, that explore and express their own coping mechanisms. I would like to see more people make the kind of experiences that are nurturing to them, and then share those with the world.”

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